"There is a big difference between external mockery by outsiders and poking fun at ourselves from within."
but that was not my point. what does the poem say, what is its message, it says all irish reels sound the same, it suggests all morris dancers are always pissed, it suggests that a particular venue only has 4 people.
in my opinion, the music needs talking up, not down, but since you raise the point, Howard, about the difference between external mockery and internal mockery , i am afraid i disagree there is no difference in my opinion, it is all mockery. if you want to get outsiders interested this poem perpetuates all the stereotypes that many outsiders already have, how many times have i heard outsiders say that all diddley music sounds the same, that morris dancers just do it to get free drink. humour is a great way to get a message across, but in this case my honest opinion is that this does not do irish music, folk clubs or morris dancing any favours.